The United Kingdom is considering prosecuting Nigerian politicians, who perpetrate or involve in violence in the Edo and Ondo States governorship elections.
The British High Commission in a statement on Wednesday said it is against election-related violence and would be taking actions against any politician caught engaging in a violent act in the governorship elections.
“The UK takes a strong stand against election-related violence and, just as we did in the general election in 2019, will continue to take action against individuals we identify as being responsible for violence during the elections.
“This could include restrictions on their eligibility to travel to the UK, restrictions on access to UK based assets or prosecution under international law,” the UK said.
The British High Commission also said that the governorship elections will be an essential element of effective governance within both states and an indicator of the strength of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
The commission stated that it will be observing the Edo and Ondo states elections as it urged the Independent National Electoral Commission and police to ensure that the elections were free and fair.
“We will be deploying observation missions to both the Edo and Ondo elections and
supporting civil society led observation.
“The UK will continue to provide support and engagement as we move towards these elections. We urge INEC, the Police and all other agencies involved to work together to deliver free, fair and credible elections,” the UK said.
